Quake left 20-meter crack in FujiA

Quake left 20-meter crack in FujiA 20-meter-long crack was found halfway up Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit on March 15, 2011, centered around eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, local authorities revealed Tuesday.

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Opening up: In a photo taken in March 2011, a crack can be seen near a shrine at the Fifth Station of Mount Fuji. Experts say it is unlikely to be a sign of an impending eruption or any other abnormality. KYODO

JapanTimes/They ruled out the possibility of an eruption.

"No abnormalities have been observed regarding Mount Fuji and the mountain shows no signs of an eruption," an official at the Meteorological Agency said, indicating the crack was caused not by volcanic activity but by the temblor.

Both the width and depth of the crack were several centimeters, and it has subsequently been covered by sand and pebbles, according to the Yamanashi Prefectural Government.

"Nothing has happened after more than a year (since the discovery of the crack), so Mount Fuji is probably not going to erupt," said Shigeo Aramaki, head of the Yamanashi Institute of Environmental Sciences, who inspected the crack in June last year.

Nagano rocked

JIJI

A strong quake hit central Japan at around 12:49 p.m. Tuesday, the Meteorological Agency said.

The quake measured lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale to 7 in the Nagano Prefecture municipalities of Nakano and Kijimadaira.

Seismic intensity of 4 was recorded in other places in the prefecture, as well as in parts of neighboring Niigata Prefecture, including in Joetsu, the agency said. The estimated magnitude was 5.0. Its focus was estimated to be 20 km deep.